Militia claims to be shot dead? Local response: Try not to go out, more than 70 crocodiles have fled
On September 11th, a video was circulating online claiming that more than 70 crocodiles had fled from a crocodile farm near Pengcun Lake in Maoming City, Guangdong Province.
The video footage shows the flood rushing onto the road, and the road signs indicate heading towards Maoming. Several red circles are marked in the water. The video caption states: Received notification that crocodiles have appeared on the road around the lake in Pengcun Pond. These crocodiles have escaped from nearby farms. The village representative is requested to inform nearby villagers to stay away from the water surface, prohibit fishing in the water, and report any special circumstances in a timely manner.
Screenshot of online video transmission
Local media reports:
Militia claims that the crocodile flowing out is about to be killed
According to Southern News at around 20:00 on September 11th, the reporter arrived near Peng Village and followed the guidance of villagers to reach North Jieluo Village of Changchangpo Village Committee. They saw that the farmland had been submerged and warning lines had been set up in the surrounding flooded areas. The reporter saw that there are multiple breeding farms and key leading enterprises in Guangdong Province in the region.
A villager told reporters that he had seen crocodiles in nearby farms before, weighing at least 200 pounds.
Southern+reported that local militia at the scene stated that crocodiles are currently in deep water and due to safety requirements, these flowing crocodiles are about to be killed. Multiple relevant personnel from various departments have been stationed on site to ensure the safety of residents.
Reply from the local emergency management bureau:
More than 70 crocodiles have fled, "a bit too many"
At 19:33 on the same day, a reporter from Red Star News called the Emergency Management Bureau of Maoming City. The staff on the line told the reporter that there was indeed a crocodile escaping, and as of now, there have been no casualties. The Emergency Management Bureau is taking action, but it is inconvenient to disclose more details.
In addition, according to the poster news, the reporter learned from the Emergency Management Bureau of Maonan District that nearby residents have been reminded to pay attention to safety and not to go out. "We are currently controlling it, but the number of crocodiles that have escaped is a bit high." The staff told reporters that according to the statistics, there are 69 adult crocodiles and 6 juvenile crocodiles that have escaped, all of which are currently in the lake of Pengcun Pond. At present, leaders from Maonan District, Emergency Management Bureau, Public Security and Fire Department are all on site for disposal.
According to media reports, the Emergency Bureau of Maonan District in Maoming City is using sonar equipment to search for escaped crocodiles. Several have been caught, but due to the difficulty of catching crocodiles in deep water, the bureau recommends that nearby residents try not to go out.
It is reported that since Typhoon "Haikui" made landfall, residual vortices have continued to affect the southern region of China, and multiple rounds of heavy rainfall have caused severe waterlogging in many areas.
